Friday, March 22, 1963: 'Route 66'

     Glenn Corbett joins the cast of CBS's "Route 66" as Army veteran Lincoln Case (in the episode "Fifty Miles From Home"). It is the first U.S. television show to feature a regularly appearing character who saw combat in Vietnam.
     From newspaper TV listings: "A Ranger, who emerges from the fighting in South Vietnam as a hero, finds himself facing more serious personal challenges in civilian surroundings."
     From DVDtalk.com: "In his introductory episode ... we learn that Lincoln not only served a tour in Vietnam, but that he was held prisoner there and had escaped after killing many of his captors ... Later in the episode, he tells of a harrowing experience where he lost the woman he loved to the Viet Cong."

* "Route 66" entry from Museum of Broadcast Communications: @

* Series overview from TV critic Ed Bark: @
* Watch "Fifty Miles From Home" (from Hulu): @
* Vietnam-related episodes: @
* "Why the mostly forgotten 'Route 66' was one of TV's most ambitious shows" (from A.V. Club): @
* "Wanderlust and Wire Wheels: The existential search of 'Route 66' " (Mark Alvey, from "The Road Movie Book" (edited by Steven Cohan and Ina Rae Hark, 1997): @
* "The Road Story and the Rebel: Moving Through Film, Fiction and Television" (Katie Mills, 2006): @ 

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Thursday, March 14, 1963: Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa appears on "The Steve Allen Show," using bicycles as musical instruments. (The syndicated show would air on March 27.)
* Footage: @
* Transcript: @ 
* zappa.com: @ 
* steveallen.com: @

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Sunday, January 6, 1963: 'Wild Kingdom'

The nature show, hosted by Marlin Perkins (left) and Jim Fowler, debuts on NBC. From The Associated Press:

   An old favorite has returned to network television with undiminished charm, it is a pleasure to report. That is Marlin Perkins, the eminent naturalist with his fascinating tales of nature.
   Perkins, now head of the St. Louis Zoo and a bit snowier atop after five years away, still has his way with beasts, birds and reptiles -- calm and gentle.
   In the first program of "Wild Kingdom," the new Sunday afternoon series on NBC, Perkins undertook to demolish some familiar myths. He showed that elephants do not fear mice, although the baby elephant in the demonstration promptly and violently hosed the white mouse off his head in a subsequent illustration of how pachyderms drink. He also conducted experiments demonstrating that vultures see food and don't "smell death"; that cobras follow movements and do not dance to music (they have no ears); and that animals can't foretell weather any better than humans.
   The most interesting portion of the program was Perkins' demolition of the "abominable snowman" myth. He showed pictures and charts suggesting that the mysterious tracks found in the Himalayas are made by a combination of foxprints in the snow and the melting action in the sun, rather than by a large supernatural beast.
   It is a happy, family type program.

Note:  The earlier show referred to in the story was "Zoo Parade," which Perkins hosted in the 1950s.
Note: Perkins was the zoologist on a 1960 Himalayas expedition led by Sir Edmund Hillary. Blog post: @

* "Wild Kingdom" website: @
* YouTube channel: @
* Entry from The Museum of Broadcast Communications: @
* "New Series 'Wild Kingdom' To Explode Animal Myths" (January 6): @ 
* "A Running Start for 'Wild Kingdom' " (United Press International, January 7): @ 

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Tuesday, January 1, 1963: 'Astro Boy'

The animated cartoon "Tetsuwan Atomu," about a young robot boy with super powers who fights for peace and justice, has its television premiere in Japan. Based on the comic book ("manga") by Tezuka Osamu, it would be broadcast in the United States starting in September as "Astro Boy." 
* Watch first English episode: @ and @

* Entry from www.animenewsnetwork.com: @

* Entry from tezukaosamu.net: @

* Entry from tezukainenglish.com: @

* Short profile of Tezuka Osamu (from www.animeacademy.com): @

* "The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution: @ 

* "Astro Boy and Anime Come to the Americas" (Fred Ladd and Harvey Deneroff, 2009): @   

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Monday, October 1, 1962: Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson takes over as permanent host of NBC's "The Tonight Show." He would host the show until 1992.

From Cynthia Lowry of The Associated Press (October 3 story):

  NBC's "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson as its new pilot, took off smoothly this week, Johnny was agreeable, exhibited occasional flashes of gentle wit and seemed poised and sure of himself.
  It is unfair to review a program of this type -- largely spontaneous and depending heavily on the entertainment value of its guest stars -- until it has had a few test flights.
  This viewer's initial reaction was that the show was so smooth and bland, the conversation so polite -- and the commercials so all-encompassing -- that the program was hardly worth the sacrifice of a couple of hours of sleep. But again, Carson must have a chance to get rolling.

* Audio clip of first show (Carson was introduced by Groucho Marx): @

* "Johnny Carson: King of Late Night" (from PBS.org): @

* "The Tonight Show" entry from The Museum of Broadcast Communications: @

* Carson entry from "Encyclopedia of Television": @

* www.johnnycarson.com: @ 

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Wednesday, September 26, 1962: 'The Beverly Hillbillies'

The comedy about an Arkansas family that strikes it rich and moves to California debuts on CBS-TV. Within a month it is the most-watched show on U.S. television.
* Entry from Museum of Broadcast Communications: @
* Episodes from Public Domain Comedy Video: @ 
* "Hillbillies" entry from Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture: @
* Entry from TV.com: @

* Entry from TVLand.com: @

* Entry from Archive of American Television: @

* Excerpt from "The Enduring Legacy of Old Southwest Humor" (Edward J. Piacentino, editor, 2006): @

* Excerpt from "Blockbuster TV: Must-See Sitcoms in the Network Era" (Janet Staiger, 2000): @ 

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Sunday, September 23, 1962: 'The Jetsons'

"The Jetsons," a cartoon series set in the year 2062, premieres on ABC-TV. It was the network's first show to be broadcast in color.

* "50 Years of the Jetsons: Why The Show Still Matters" (from Paleofuture blog, Smithsonian.com): @

* "Jetsons" entries from yowpyowp.blogspot.com: @

* " 'The Jetsons' Turns 50: How the Future Looked in 1962" (from Techland, Time.com): @

* Entry from The Big Cartoon Database: @

* Entry from TV.com: @ 

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Thursday, July 26, 1962: 'The French Chef'

Julia Child's cooking show is first broadcast for a local audience on public television station WGBH in Boston. The show would begin airing nationally on February 11, 1963.

* Video of Child preparing boeuf bourguignon (first national show in 1963): @

* "Julia Child's 'The French Chef' " (book by Dana Polan, 2011): @

* From www.pbs.org: @

* Timeline from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts: @

* Excerpt from "Icons of American Cooking" (Victor Gerachi and Elizabeth S. Demers, 2011): @

* "Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian" website: @

* "Our Lady of the Kitchen" (Vanity Fair, August 2009): @

* "TV: Pummeling and Shaking Turkey, It's Ebullient 'French Chef' " (New York Times, November 1970): @

* Earlier post on "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (October 16, 1961): @

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Tuesday, July 10, 1962: Telstar

July 10, from United Press International:

CAPE CANAVERAL -- The United States successfully rocketed the world's first international communications satellite, Telstar, into orbit today in an effort to open a new era of global radio and "live" television.

The 170-pound moonlet began a wide-swinging journey around earth within 10 minutes after its launching at 4:35 a.m. EDT aboard a three-stage Delta rocket.

Circling earth every two hours and 20 minutes as a "switchboard in the sky," Telstar ... is considered one of the most significant advances in communications since the invention of the telephone 86 years ago.

July 11, from United Press International:

ANDOVER, Maine -- The dream of global television came closer to reality Tuesday night when an orbiting Telstar communications satellite unexpectedly beamed images from space into receivers in France and England.

The reception Tuesday night of pictures relayed by the Telstar to stations in Goonhilly, England, and Pleumeur-Boudou, France ... came as a surprise and a delight to scientists at "Space Hill" in Andover, Maine ...

Possibly millions of Americans listened to "The Star Spangled Banner" and saw the American flag -- framed against the 18-story communications dome at Andover -- on their television sets in the first TV transmission relayed from space.

The impluses, sent from Andover and amplified 10 billion times inside the instrument-packed ball circling the earth, appeared clear and vivid when they came back to earth.

Reception in France and England was an unexpected bonus. The French tracking station reported that the image was as clear as though it had been sent from 20 or 25 miles away. The sound also was clearly received.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story, which you are reading, was also transmitted 3,000 miles into space and back via the Telstar satellite.

The United Press International and Associated Press both sent dispatches aloft from Andover, Maine and bounced them off Telstar at the rate of more than 1,000 words per minute. This story was one of them.

As an indication of the speed of transmission, the above paragraph was sent on its journey more than 3,000 miles into space and 3,000 miles back in less time than it took you to read it.

* Entry from Britannica.com: @

* telstar50.org: @

* "1962: Satellite Transmission" (from AT&T): @

* Bell Labs Telstar 50th Anniversary Celebration (includes link to PDF of "Original 1962 Overview of the Telstar I Project"): @

* "Telstar Signals New Era" (St. Petersburg Times, July 11): @

* "Telstar Spins, Chatters" (Spokane Daily Chronicle, July 11): @

* "Telstar and the future" (New Scientist, July 19; scroll down for a second article, "Telstar sets some diplomatic problems"): @

* "Telephone a Star" (National Geographic, May 1962, PDF): @

* "Maine and the Space Age" (from Maine Memory Network): @

* Telstar covers (from National Postal Museum): @

Videos:

* A Day in History: Telstar Brings World Closer" (newsreel): @

* "TV from Space" (newsreel): @

* "Telstar!" (from Bell System): @

* "Kennedy on Telstar: Europe Sees News Conference" (newsreel): @

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Friday, April 27, 1962: 'Where The Boys Went'

Nearly a year and a half after the movie "Where The Boys Are" helped made Florida beaches a spring break destination for thousands of college students, the NBC network broadcasts a half-hour report about Daytona Beach. Said NBC newsman Chet Huntley: "Our crew, after spending two weeks with them, found they drank prodigious amounts of beer and danced the Twist interminably day and night. Neither of these appeals to older eyes as a particularly aesthetic activity but neither is especially shocking."

* NBC report: @

* Earlier post on "Where The Boys Are" (December 28, 1960): @

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Undated: '1975: And The Changes to Come'

What's on Delhi-Television Tonight? This is the ultimate in proposed television sets for a decade hence. It can receive television signals bounced from circling satellites, bringing programs from any city on the globe. The spot of origin of the program is indicated by a light on the world map in the upper panels. Round dials are clocks showing the hour in four major time zones. Dials at right are for tuning and sound control. The set is only three inches thick. On the reverse side it is equipped with an international stereophonic radio.

That's among the predictions in "1975: And the Changes to Come," a book by Arnold B. Barach, a senior editor at Changing Times magazine. From an ad for the book in the March 1962 issue of Changing Times (later known as Kiplinger's Personal Finance):

A dramatic forecast of life in 1975, based on what's actually being developed today, and including a list of suggested investments in industries and companies most likely to prosper in the years ahead. A profusely illustrated and detailed expansion of a study originally presented in the January 1961 edition of Changing Times. More than 140 photographs and drawings of what's to come ... including charts showing business and economic growth, population increases, employment, college enrollment, and the coming shortage of doctors. ... You'll enjoy and profit from this fascinating preview of YOUR future.

Image provided by Derrick Bostrom; more selections from the book here: @

* January 1961 issue of Changing Times: @

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Monday, April 16, 1962: Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite delivers his first newscast as the newly named anchorman and managing editor of the 15-minute "CBS Evening News" (initially called "Walter Cronkite with the News"). His memorable sign-off, "And that's the way it is," was added soon after. Cronkite began his journalism career as a print reporter for United Press before joining CBS in 1950.

From The New York Times, April 17: "On Mr. Cronkite's premiere the background setting was materially simplified, and there was a noticeable effort to inject a lighter touch into the news copy. At the conclusion of the news program, Mr. Cronkite received billing on the screen as 'managing editor' of the presentation. The identification reflects the normal sensitivity of newscasters who exercise some voice in the editing of the news so as not to be confused with mere 'readers' of bulletins."

Cecil Smith, TV critic for the Los Angeles Times, wrote on May 24: "Cronkite is undoubtedly the No. 1 man in the CBS news stable, the celebrated anchor man of the conventions, the Khrushchev tour, presidential parlays, etc. A solid newsman with slight regard for side comment or opinion, Cronkite has built up a wide, national reputation and would seem to be the ideal man for the job."

1962 photo from Corbis Images.

* Entry from Museum of Broadcast Communications: @

* Entry from "The Encyclopedia of Television News" (1999 book): @

* "Cronkite" (Douglas Brinkley, 2012): @
* Cronkite segments on NPR: @

* Interviews from Archive of American Television: @

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April 1962: 'The Image: Or What Happened to the American Dream'

The book by professor and historian Daniel J. Boorstin is published. (It was also published under the title "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America.")

From the book "Nixon's Shadow: The History of An Image" (David Greenberg, 2004):

Boorstin observed that the rise of mass media, including the attendant apparatuses of advertising and public relations, had helped create an alternate sham reality, where celebrities replaced heroes, credibility superseded truth, invention eclipsed discovery, and personality was vaunted over character. Coining a term that would increase in use over the years, Boorstin identified a new phenomenon he called the "pseudo-event": a staged happening that becomes not for intrinsic reasons but because those who cover the news deem it so. ... These changes undermined democratic politics, Boorstin argued. Television and media manipulation had become so pervasive that "more important than what we think of the presidential candidate is what we think of his 'public image.' "

In the book, Boorstin also originated this often-repeated line: "The celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knownness."

* Entry from "Encyclopedia of Political Communication" (2008): @

* New York Times book review (April 9, 1962): @

* Boorstin obituary (New York Times, 2004): @

* Boorstin obituary (The Guardian, 2004): @

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Thursday, March 29, 1962: Jack Paar

From The New York Times:

Jack Paar did his final late show for the National Broadcasting Company last night after a run of almost five years.

The concluding telecast combined tributes to the star with comedy, controversy, sentiment and music.

Among those who paid their respects in a filmed segment of the program were Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, former Vice President Richard M. Nixon and the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham. All had appeared on Paar programs in the past.

Although the telecast was in the nature of a farewell to Mr. Paar, he is not leaving the air permanently. He will return to the network in the fall with a once-a-week show to be presented on Friday nights from 10 to 11 o'clock.

Last night's program marked his final appearance in a Monday-through-Friday series that began on July 29, 1957. The show has been presented from 11:15 p.m. to 1 a.m. In recent years it has been pre-recorded on tape earlier in the evening.

* "Jack Paar Gets All Misty-Eyed as Fans Tell Him How Great He Is" (Sarasota Journal, March 30): @

* Video from Archive of American Television: @

* "Jack Paar at the Berlin Wall" (from Television Quarterly): @

* Earlier post on appearance by John F. Kennedy (June 16, 1960): @

* Earlier post on appearance by Richard Nixon (August 25, 1960): @

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Sunday, March 25, 1962: 'Pop Goes the Easel'

The documentary on pop art, directed by Ken Russell, is televised as part of the BBC's "Monitor" series.

From BFI Screenonline:

The film was nominally a portrait of Peter Blake, Peter Phillips, Derek Boshier and Pauline Boty (left), who had all achieved substantial reputations in the art word despite being in their twenties ... Russell's approach was far more visual and musical than verbal ...

As one would expect from the finished artworks, these were drawn from the contemporary world around them, and Russell duly constructs and elaborate, rapidly-cut kaleidoscope of images and pop stars (Brigitte Bardot, Buddy Holly), fashion magazines, fast cars, politicians, the space race, guns, girls, American culture in general, and anything else that could be made to convey a similar vitality.

* Watch the episode (from www.dangerousminds.net): @

* "The Thrill of It All" (Article from Frieze magazine, 2009): @

* Excerpt from "The Who Sell Out" (2006 book by John Dougan): @

* Excerpt from "Arts TV: A History of Arts Television in Britain" (1993 book by John Albert Walker): @

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Saturday, March 24, 1962: Emile Griffith vs. Benny (Kid) Paret

The welterweights meet for a third time in New York's Madison Square Garden in a fight televised by ABC. Griffith and Paret had split their first two fights, Paret having won the welterweight championship from Griffith in September 1961. Paret is brutally knocked out in the 12th round; he dies on April 3.

From a United Press International story published March 26:

Benny (Kid) Paret, beaten insensible in a savage world welterweight championship fight Saturday night, lay in deep coma today. ... The 25-year-old Cuban underwent delicate brain surgery early yesterday at Roosevelt Hospital where he was taken after being knocked senseless under a barrage of blows by Griffith ...

The third Paret-Griffith match was billed as a "grudge" fight because Griffith was incensed when he lost his title to the Cuban on an unpopular decision in the same Garden ring last September. The two battlers almost came to blows during the weigh-in Saturday noon when Paret made demeaning remarks about Griffith's manliness. (Note: Paret had called Griffith a "maricón," the Spanish slang equivalent of "faggot." The New York Times avoided the words "faggot" and "homosexual" in a March 27 story, instead using "anti-man.")

Because of those insults, Griffith, who hails from the Virgin Islands, was fighting mad when the bout started. He grew more furious when Paret floored him for a mandatory eight-count late in the sixth round.

The pattern of the fight, though, soon changed in Griffith's favor and he was ahead on all three scorecards entering the tragic 12th round.

Midway in the 12th Griffith caught Paret with a right to the jaw and the Kid sagged toward the ropes. Griffith then rained right after right to the head of the stricken champion, who was completely helpless but could not fall to the canvas because he was entwined on the ropes.

When (referee Ruby) Goldstein finally threw his arms around Griffith's shoulders and wrestled him into the center of the ring, Paret's knees buckled and he sagged slowly to the canvas, bleeding from the eyes and mouth.

Oxygen was administered to Paret immediately and after five minutes he was carried unconscious on a stretcher to the dressing room and thence to the hospital, where he underwent the operation to relieve pressure caused by blood clots on both sides of his brain.

* "Twenty-five Deadly Blows" (The New York Times, March 24): @

* "The Deadly Insult" (Sports Illustrated, April 1962): @

* "The Shadow Boxer" (Sports Illustrated, April 2005): @

* "Should Boxing Be Abolished?" (Ebony magazine, June 1962): @

* Article by Norman Mailer (Esquire magazine, February 1963): @

* Watch the end of the fight: @

* Watch "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story" (2005 documentary): @

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Friday, March 2, 1962: 'To Serve Man'

One of the more memorable episodes of "The Twilight Zone" airs. An alien race arrives on Earth, saying they only want to help humanity. As in many "Twilight Zone" episodes, there's a plot twist at the end. The telecast was adapted from a 1950 short story by Damon Knight.

* Watch the episode (from imdb.com): @

* The Twilight Zone Archives: @

* The Twilight Zone Museum: @

* "Into The Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide" (book by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier): @

* "Dimensions Behind The Twilight Zone" (book by Stewart T. Stanyard): @

* Short biography of Damon Knight (from The Oregon Encylopedia): @

* Rod Serling Memorial Foundation: @

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Wednesday, February 14, 1962: 'A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy'

First lady Jackie Kennedy gives television viewers an inside look at the White House, talking about various rooms and renovations. The documentary was shown on two networks, CBS and NBC (attracting some 75%-80% of the viewing audience), and repeated on February 18 on ABC. It would win both an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for public service. Though the viewing public could not tell on the black-and-white telecast, Mrs. Kennedy wore a red Chez Ninon dress for the show, which was taped on January 15.

Photos by Bettman / Corbis

* Entire show, as seen on NBC: @

* Summary (from The Museum of Broadcast Communications): @

* Dress (from JFK Library): @

* "First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Clothing" (from JFK Library): @

* Excerpt from "The Expanding Vista: American Television in the Kennedy Years" (book by Mary Ann Watson): @

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Friday, October 13, 1961: 'Stokey the Bear'

This episode of the cartoon "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties" (which premiered in September 1961 as part of NBC's "The Bullwinkle Show") got its creators in trouble with the government. The segment featured a bear that starts fires instead of preventing them (a takeoff on Smokey the Bear). Following protests from the U.S. Forest Service, the episode was withdrawn after a single showing. (Note: "The Moose That Roared," linked below, says the episode aired October 13, a Friday; however, "The Bullwinkle Show" was usually scheduled for Sunday nights. Not sure about the discrepancy.)

* Watch the episode: @

* "The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, a Flying Squirrel, and a Talking Moose" (book by Keith Scott): @

* "Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America" (book by Karl F. Cohen): @

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Tuesday, October 3, 1961: 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'

The situation comedy premieres on CBS. The show features Van Dyke's work life as well as his home life: he plays a writer for a TV comedy show. The memorable opening of Van Dyke tripping over an ottoman as he arrives home did not appear until the show's second season.

* Overview (from Museum of Broadcast Communications): @

* Official website: @

* "The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book" (book by Vince Waldron): @

* dick-van-dyke-show.blogspot.com: @

* Watch episodes (from www.hulu.com): @

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